Peter Brant's Dunbar Road cruised to an easy victory in Saturday's $400,000 Grade 2 Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del.
With Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, the 4-year-old daughter of Quality Road posted a 3-length triumph and returned $2.40 as the favorite in the field of six. Sacarosa, with Carol Cedeno, finished second a length in front of Bellera, with Trevor McCarthy in third. Dunbar Road covered the mile and an eighth in 1:49.02 over a fast main track.
In her only other outing this year, the Kentucky-bred conditioned by Chad Brown won the mile and a sixteenth $100,000 Shawnee Stakes by 1 ¾-lengths at Churchill Downs on May 23. Last year, she won the Grade 2 Mother Goose at Belmont Park and the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga before finishing third in the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland and fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Santa Anita Park. She has a career record of six wins from nine starts with earnings of $998,040.
Winning jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. was impressed with this race.
“I got a perfect trip,” said winning jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. “She broke really good, I was right behind the early speed right where I wanted to be. I wanted to save some ground and then I got her out. By the three-eighths pole, I started working my way out and I had no trouble, so I just got her clear and she responded. She responded very well. This is a really nice filly. You are going to hear a lot from her – trust me.”
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